Some of the games from Minute to Win It are trickier than others, and Play it By Ear is one that is pretty challenging. At first glance it seems simple, but knowing the difference between 20 coins in a soda can and 25 coins, using only your ears and hands, is quite tough as you'll soon find out.
The Goal
Eight soda cans are filled with varying numbers of coins. Your job is to sort the cans from fewest to most coins inside, by picking up the cans and shaking them to determine how many coins they contain.
Equipment Needed
In order to play Play it By Ear you'll need to have some supplies on hand. Here's exactly what you'll need.
- Eight empty soda cans, all of the same type/brand, cleaned and dried
- 180 pennies
- A table -- it doesn't need to be very long, just long enough to place the eight soda cans side by side in a row
- A one minute timer or stop watch
Set Up Play it By Ear
To set up the game before you start playing, first make sure that all eight of the empty soda cans are completely dry. Start placing the pennies in the cans in increments of five. So you'll end up with cans that contain 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, and 40 coins each.
Place the cans in random order on the table. They should be in a stright line, but don't arrange them according to how many coins are in them - that's the challenge for the player to accomplish.
How to Play
The player begins by standing in front of the table where the cans are set up. When the one minute timer starts, the player can begin picking up the cans and sorting them in order, from fewest on his or her right, to most coins on his or her left.
The player may pick up the cans to check for weight, or shake them to listen to how many coins are rattling around inside. There's no rule saying that you can't look inside the cans but I wouldn't waste time trying -- it doesn't help much.
Once the player is finished sorting (or time runs out), empty out the cans and count the coins to see if he or she has been successful.
The Rules
This may be the only game in the history of Minute to Win It that doesn't have any rules. I mean, you can't dump the coins and count them in the middle of play, but you can use all of your body parts that you deem necessary, there's no foul line, and you don't have to leave anything freestanding for three consecutive seconds in order to win.
Tips and Tricks
It's fairly easy to figure out which cans have the fewest and the most coins - it's the ones in the 20-35 range that will give you a headache. Once you have them lined up the way you think they go, move along the line and measure the weight of each can against the one next to it to be sure that they get progressively heavier.
The blueprint with video instructions for this game can be found at NBC.com.
Team Play
On the actual show, this game has been used as a team game as well as a Christmas-themed game using wrapped gifts. If there are two players attempting this game together the method of play is exactly the same. What makes it interesting is that the team must work together without panicking in order to succeed.